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Progressive Spirit news

SEPTEMBER – VOLUME 10, ISSUE 9

ST. PAUL’S United Church of Christ 602 Garfield St., Laramie, WY 82070

www.laramieucc.org

307-742-7733

Pastor’s Post

I am pretty excited

about what is in store for

us in September, here at

St. Paul’s. We start our

new program year, and

with that comes new

opportunities and new

experiences for us.

There will be bible

study offered on most

Sunday mornings,

beginning at 9:00 am. Our

first session will be on

September 8th. You won’t

want to show up late! Our

first series will be about the

10 commandments,

That, to me, seemed an

appropriate place to start

a bible study series.

Our children’s

programming also kicks off

on that day. Bring all the

children to church, and

they will go to Sunday

school, where like most

years, they will start off with

a little party to celebrate

September

September 1

o Communion Sunday

September 8 o Adult Bible Study

9:00 am o Children’s

Programs Begin o Community

Youth Group September 15

o Rev. Ken Away o Music Sunday

September 22 o All Church Photo

After Worship

All events are in the Church or Church Basement, unless

otherwise noted.

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being back in Sunday School.

On Sunday evening September 8, a community youth group will meet. This is the first

meeting, and we will meet at 4:00 PM at First Presbyterian, Church on Grand Ave. This will be

a BBQ, and planning session for the coming year.

Parents are encouraged to come with their youth. This

will be a fun time for everyone, and a chance to meet

some new friends. Join us at 4:00 on Sunday, September

8th. Currently planning to be a part of the community

youth group is St. Matthews, St. Paul’s Newman Center,

Trinity Lutheran, St. Paul’s UCC, and First Presbyterian.

Other church may join us as well.

I will be attending the Wyoming Interfaith Network

annual meeting in Casper on September 5 and 6. I will

let you know of what developments might come from

the meeting. WIN only meets once per year, but the

teams that are part of WIN do work all throughout the

year.

The Higher Grounds Fair is on September 21 and 22. This

is a chance to see what organizations in town and the

area are doing, as well as some great exhibits and things

to do. Albany County Fairgrounds, 9-6 and 9-4 on

Saturday and Sunday.

Betty Holmes is far along in her work documenting the 130 yr history of St. Paul’s. To

help her, and to have a current picture of our current membership, everyone is encouraged

to attend worship on September 22, as we will have a picture taken of the congregation for

inclusion in the book. Wear your Sunday best, or your usual church attire, but plan to come

and be a part of the picture. See you on the 22nd.

I will be away on September 15th, so that Sunday during worship we will have special

music and readings. Those who have asked that Sean sing sometime will be happy to learn

that Sean will perform special music that Sunday, Amazing Grace. Along with that will be

two other hymns that will be sung. Come out and hear Sean, and enjoy each other in your

singing. While away, I will be available by phone and by email.

7 – Mickey Uhl

11 – Brianna Given

21 – Betty Holmes

If your birthday is not listed, then our directory

is not updated with your information. Please

let the church know your current contact

information, address, phone and

birthday/anniversary at stpucc.gmail.com

SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS

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‘Let mutual Love Continue’

Hebrews 13:1

Peace, and Blessings to all,

Rev. Ken

An Update From Marcus Frye: Hello St. Paul's! Greetings from Miami! I arrived in Miami last night (Thursday the 22nd) and am currently staying in the Coral Gables UCC guest house until my more permanent residence is ready for me to move in. I figured that while I'm waiting to start my assignment I should send an update back home. The drive to Miami from Oklahoma was long (23 hours of driving, not counting time to stop for fuel and food) and tiring, but was definitely a worth while experience. I had the opportunity to drive through eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida; all parts of the country that I'd never been to. My goodness do they have a lot of trees in the south! At times during the drive I felt almost claustrophobic because I couldn't see beyond the narrow stretch of highway due to the dense forest. I guess I've taken the wide open spaces of Wyoming for granted. My time living in Oklahoma City this summer was fairly eventful. My move down coincided almost perfectly with the beginning of OKC Pride week. I was able to attend Pride Night at the OKC Zoo and watch the parade. During Pride week, Mayflower Congregational UCC hosted an ecumenical Pride service that involved clergy and laypeople from other UCC churches, two Methodist churches, an evangelical church, and an Episcopal church. The church building was so full that there weren't enough seats for everyone in attendance. I also got a job as a server while in Oklahoma. A dinner chain opened a new location near where I was staying and I was hired. As far as jobs go, it wasn't the worst job I've had in my life, but it certainly wasn't the best. I earned enough money for living and travel expenses. While in Oklahoma City, I had the opportunity to attend church with four different congregations; two UCC congregations and one LGBTQ affirming evangelical congregation. Church of the Open Arms UCC, Cathedral of Hope UCC, Mayflower Congregational UCC, and Expressions Church were all wonderful places, but I ended up attending Mayflower Congregational most often. Mayflower had recently voted to join the Sanctuary Church movement and had made a commitment to supporting immigrants and refugees and to protect them from deportation in whatever way they are able. It felt like a good fit for me. I attended two ecumenical prayer vigils with Mayflower, both in front of Immigration and Customs Enforcement buildings to bring awareness to the fact that the US government is placing asylum seekers

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and undocumented immigrants into concentration camps with unsanitary and inhumane conditions. I also sat in on committee meetings where the congregation formed a plan to support resettled refugees on their bus trips through Oklahoma by providing them with food and other supplies when they stopped in the city. I was also able to join hundreds of others in a march on a military base near Lawton Oklahoma. The Department of Homeland Security had planned on detaining around 1500 migrant children at Fort Sill sometime this summer. Fort Sill was a military base during the US government's campaign to force indigenous peoples off of their land to make room for white settlers. During that campaign, Native Americans were forced to live in inhumane conditions in Fort Sill while they waited to be relocated to a reservation. During WWII, Fort Sill was used as a concentration camp to hold Japanese Americans. On July 20th, hundreds of us blocked traffic outside of Fort Sill demanding that all of the camps be closed immediately. Members of a Japanese Buddhist group from California held a ceremony during the demonstration, honoring the Japanese Americans who had been killed in Fort Sill. Members of the American Indian Movement also held prayers to honor their ancestors who had also been killed at the fort. We remained in the streets for almost an hour while collectively demanding that Fort Sill not be used as a concentration camp for migrant children as well as demanding that all of the inhumane migrant camps be closed. A week after our protest made national news, the Governor of Oklahoma announced that Fort Sill was no longer going to be the site of a migrant concentration camp. While this was definitely a victory, there are still other inhumane camps in this nation that need to be closed. We won this victory, not because we asked nicely, but because we demonstrated that there are many of us who care about this issue and know what is going on. We demonstrated that we know that we have power together, and we will use it if we need to. All of this to say that my two and a half months in Oklahoma City have been eventful, and I expect that my year of service in Miami will be just as eventful, if not more so. I hope all of you are doing well. I think about St. Paul's every Sunday and keep up with what is happening via Reverend Ken's newsletters. I pray that you all continue to support each other and our community as a whole. I look forward to updating you again in the future. Marcus Aaron Frye 307-359-9024 fryemarcus@gmail.com

St. Paul’s is having a birthday, and next year will be BIG!!

St. Paul’s was founded in 1886. On July 13, 1890, the cornerstone was placed at St. Paul’s. That was 129 years ago!

Who knows, we may be the same size now as the founders of St. Paul’s in 1890.

The contents of the cornerstone in 1890:

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Copies of the Lutheran Catechism Church papers

The Lutheran Observer

The Evangelist and the Hausfreund

Copies of the Sentinel and the Times

The minutes of the Synod

The Boomerang

The Book or Rules Governing the Synod

History of the Congregation.

This list was taken from the Laramie Daily Boomerang, dated July 17, 1890

In honor of the 130 year history of St. Paul's Church, a history book is being completed. One section of the book will include memoirs/memories from

individuals and families who attended the church over the 130 year church history. If you are interested in being included in the book, please click here to go to the link on the webpage.

Worship calendar: September 2019 Worship Calendar and Church Happenings

September 1 o Worship Leader: Carol Uhl o Accompanist: Sean Stone

MV 12: Come, Touch Our Hearts

NCH 89: Awake, Awake To Love and Work

NCH 81: God Be With You o Communion

NC 335: Come, Gather In This Special Place o Jeremiah 2:4-13 and Psalm 81:1,10-16 o Luke 14:1,7-14

September 8 o Worship Leader: Aeslin Mattimoe o Accompanist: Nathan Sonnenschein

NCH 66: O Day of Radiant Gladness

NCH 397: Thank Our God for Sisters, Brothers

NCH 80: Savior, Again To Your Dear Name

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o Jeremiah 18:1-11 and Psalm 139:1-6,13-18 o Philemon 1:1-21

September 15 o Rev Ken Away o Sing Sunday o Worship Leader: Tara Mattimoe o Accompanist: Sean Stone

MV 6: Holy Spirit Come Into Our Lives

Exodus 32:7-14

NCH 584: I Am the Light of the World

Psalm 51:1-10

Special Music: Sean Stone: Amazing Grace

1 Timothy 1:12-17

NCH 1: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise

NCH 82: Go My Children With My Blessings

September 22 o All Church Picture after worship o Worship Leader: Peggy Harris o Accompanist: Nathan Sonnenschein

NCH 74: We Have Gathered, Jesus Dear

NCH 181: You Are Salt For The Earth, O People

NC 460: Be Not Dismayed o Jerimiah 8:18-9:1 and Psalm 79:1-9 o 1 Timothy 2:1-7

Flower Chart Sign-ups There is a flower sign up chart downstairs in the social hall. If you would like to bring flowers for the altar, sign up. After services, you can take the flowers home, or leave them for the next week.

The BIG Event The BIG Event is on October 12 this year. The registration deadline is September 27th. If you need help with a project, cleaning the gutters, cleaning the garage, yard work, etc., then the University of Wyoming students want to give you a hand, or two, or three. The students volunteer for the event, and provide many hours worth of work for the community. Registration is at 307-766-3117 or at uwyobigevent.com.

UCC Disaster Ministry

The UCC disaster ministries is already on the ground, working to gather needed supplies for the victims of Hurricane Dorian. If you can support their efforts, go to UCC.ORG and click the link to donate to the disaster ministry program.

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From the UCC Historical Council

The Herald of Gospel Liberty spread new Views of Church

In the early history of the United States of America many religious leaders were inspired by the promise of

“liberty.” They were fed up with traditional church practices and

scorned church leaders in New England, southern Virginia, and

the mid-west. On September 1, 1808 in Portsmouth, New

Hampshire, a newspaper publication, called the Herald of

Gospel Liberty,began promoting radical ideas of groups that

simply called themselves “Christians.” Many years later, some

of those “Christians” became part of the United Church of

Christ. Although the Herald newspaper is often lauded as the

“first Christian newspaper” published in early America, most

UCC members know little about the radical ideas of the

“Christians.”

Elias Smith (1769–1846), the publisher of the Herald of Gospel

Liberty, was poor, unschooled, and totally self-taught, but he was

an effective promoter of the ideas of the “Christian movement”–

sometimes called the “Christian Connexion.” The “Christians”

intentionally founded non-denominational churches. They

insisted that Christ was the only head of the Church, that the

New Testament was their only rule of faith, and that “Christian”

was their only name. They rejected “Calvinism,” titles like

“Doctors of Divinity,” fancy robes and “Surplices,” “written

sermon notes,” “creeds,” and “covenants”. Yet, Elias Smith also

argued for “the necessity of a college education for ministry,

missionary societies, and church councils for ordination and discipline.”

Elias Smith’s life and autobiography show us how the self-ignited and the sustained fire of his intellect inspired people,

and how his passion for the essentials of Christianity was unconquerable. His rejection of dogma and doctrine remind

us that religion is often grounded in the misguided inventions of the human mind. Smith’s insistence about these things

hold lessons for the church today. Although Smith’s rants against the settled clergy, and his ravings against the

institutional church were and are unsettling, they remind us that being a Christian is always demanding.

Contributor: Kendall H. Brown

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St. Paul’s United Church of Christ

602 Garfield St. Sunday Morning Worship at 10:00 a.m. Laramie, WY 82070

Rev. Kenneth Ingram

720-289-2394

revken1957@gmail.com

Rev. Ken’s hours:

Tue, Wed, Thur, Fri and Sunday

mornings – call first to confirm

IF YOU KNOW OF ANY

ACTIVITIES AROUND TOWN

THAT YOU WOULD LIKE

MENTIONED IN THE WEEKLY

UPDATE OR THE NEWSLETTER,

PLEASE SEND THE

INFORMATION TO REV. KEN AT

STPUCC@GMAIL.COM

St. Paul’s UCC

Our Mission:

To be an emphatically inclusive,

progressive community

on the Path of Christ,

seeking justice and peace for all Creation

through creative ceremony and celebration,

soulful questioning,

and acts of compassion and service.